"You danged sumbitch!" Langston yelled, as Johnny picked her up, hugging her tightly enough to cause her ribs to squeak in protest. He laughed. The resemblance and joy between the two siblings was readily apparent, causing Bishop to quickly snap a photo with her phone. Yeah, McGee thought, grinning, that was the kind of moment that needed to be recorded.
"Gotcha," Johhny said, putting Langston down, grinning widely at her.
"When th' hell did y' git in?" Langston demanded.
"'Bout half an hour ago. Came with Lance Corporal Jackson, as his support. He's checking in with Family Services now. Now, what's this 'bout a punk?" Johnny asked.
Langston quickly introduced Johnny to the rest of the group and her team, and brought him up to date on the case.
"So what's the plan?" Hans asked.
Gibbs indicated Johnny. "Slight change of plans. Langston, both of you, you're with me and Bishop. Get a DNA sample evidence kit from Kasie, for Bridget. You four," Gibbs said, indicating the other four Marines, "you're with Torres and McGee. Two outside the room, just in case Bridget decides to fight and we need backup."
"I know what happened to Julia Wentworth's baby!" Tyler Strathford yelled as he suddenly burst out of the elevator, papers in hand, breathing hard.
"Catch your breath, man," Lopez chided.
"What happened to Julia's baby?" McGee asked.
"He was adopted by a family by the name of MacEntire. His name is George, and according to the family Facebook page, he's a healthy, happy young man who looks very much like his birth mother," Tyler said, handing McGee the papers, which were printouts of pictures of a beaming eighteen year-old boy with brown hair.
"I think I know why Tommy was so obsessed with Julia," Bishop said. "What if George was Julia and Tommy's son?"
"And because they were teenagers, Julia would have been forced to give George up for adoption, by the Wentworths, and when she tried to run, either Robert or May beat her to death, buried her in the basement, and claimed she had run away," Torres said, catching on. "And the Wentworths threatened Tommy, maybe threatened to either put him there or frame him for her death or disappearance."
"It's a cold case," Gibbs reminded them.
"Actually, boss, it's our case," McGee said, studying his computer screen. He tapped a couple of keys and an image of a beaming young man in a Marine utility uniform popped up on the screen. "Private George MacEntire just graduated from Marine boot camp; it's on his Facebook page."
"Kid's one of us," Shane said, nodding in approval.
"There's also the fact that May Wentworth murdered Lance Corporal Jackson's baby brother," Torres pointed out.
"And Amanda's father was Chief Petty Officer Daniel Melanson," came Angela Montenegro's voice. The group turned around and discovered her, and a bearded man in a wheelchair. A little girl was in his lap, and an older boy stood next to him, looking around, curiously. Angela handed Langston a thumb drive, who handed it to McGee, who plugged it into his computer. "This is my husband, Jack Hodgins, and our kids, Michael Vincent and Temperance," she said, introducing her family. "I was able to run Amanda through facial recognition, after I hacked into the CPS files; found her parents. Her mother was Shawna Melanson. Amanda wound up in foster care when her parents were killed when a truck driver fell asleep at the wheel. Amanda was at a school camping trip at the time, and neither of her parents had any extended family to take her in." McGee threw three photos on the plasma, one of Amanda, one of a proud male Navy officer with blonde hair, and a DMV photo of a woman with dark brown hair and Amanda's eyes.
"They may be cold cases, boss, but by right, they're our cases," Bishop said. "And they've been waiting a long time."
Gibbs sighed heavily. They were right. "Fine. Just one problem; May has Alzheimer's, and it ain't gonna get any better. No judge will go near her."
"Maybe not her, but what about Bridget? Technically she's an accessory t' murder, 'cause we got witnesses who say she helped bury Amanda," Langston pointed out. "That's enough t' keep her wit us while Kasie runs her DNA."
Gibbs smirked. "Do it."
Bridget was not happy to see them, and her scowl got worse when Gibbs showed her, and her lawyer, the warrant.
"DNA sample, now," Gibbs said.
"What's with Mister Muscles?" Bridget snapped, as Langston snapped on her gloves. Johnny just smiled at her and leaned against the wall under the camera, assuming the same folded arms and crossed ankles position as his sister.
"That's Gunnery Sergeant Langston and he's here as a favor. We've had some trouble with your son," Gibbs said. "And since children tend to mimic their parents, and Robbie has proven to be violent, you'll excuse us if we don't exactly trust you."
"Open up," Langston said, holding up the swab. Bridget opened her mouth, Langston took the sample, and sealed it in the protective case.
"Pussy," Bridget snarled, glaring at them, while Langston wrote down the necessary information. "You probably provoked him. He's a good boy!"
"Your good boy is also an accessory to murder," Bishop said, as Langston left the room to deliver the DNA sample to Kasie, who had been alerted, and was waiting outside the room. "That's mild compared to what you're facing, which is murder. Mind you, you're also facing accessory to murder charges, as we have witnesses that says you helped get rid of Amanda Melanson's body."
"And because of who her father was, it's an NCIS case," Gibbs said, as Langston came back into the room, stripping her gloves off and tossing them in a nearby garbage can. "Because of Mary's deteriorating mental health, we can't go after her for the murder of Julia Wentworth, Paulie Jackson, or Amanda, and unfortunately Robert Wentworth is, well, he's dead. You, on the other hand, aren't."
"We got Robbie's DNA, and we compared it to the blood from our crime scene," Bishop said. "Do you know what familial DNA means?" Bridget just glared at them. "It's DNA that's related to other DNA by family, whether it be siblings or, most importantly, parents and children. Your son's DNA is a familia match to our blood evidence, and since we have a pretty good idea who Robbie's father is, and who just happens to be dead, guess what? That leaves you."
"Bitch," Bridget snarled, glaring at them, while her lawyer sighed tiredly.
"Talk. Now," Gibbs said.
"No," Bridget snarled.
"She does have the right to remain silent," her lawyer pointed out.
"Yes, she does," Gibbs said. "Fine. Say goodbye to Robbie, because you're under arrest for the murder of Petty Officer Scotto. Agent Langston, cuff her."
"Gladly," Langston said, removing her cuffs. "Up, now. Hands behind yer back."
"Don't you touch me, you filthy bitch!" Bridget yelled, yanking away from Langston when she put her hands on Bridget.
Langston looked at her, tilting her head. By silent agreement, Gibbs and Bishop waited, knowing Langston could handle herself, while Johnny quietly unfolded himself from his position, reminding Bishop of a predator who had just spotted his prey. "Y'know, technically that is considered resisting arrest." Bridget swore at her. "I will say this again, jest so we're clear; yer under arrest fer murder. Yer rights have been read t' y'. Now, that fine feller over there is with us, an' that means that if y' continue t' resist, he will help me. Are we clear, everyone? Ms. Defense Lawyer?"
"You touch me and I will sue you for police brutality," Bridget snarled, her hands balled.
"Then git yer hands behind yer back, now," Langston said, warningly.
"This is not going to go well," Bishop warned the lawyer, who gulped nervously.
"Bridget, please cooperate," the lawyer pleaded.
"Nobody touches me, especially not some crank wannabe cop!" Bridget snarled. "Scotto got what he deserved, just like they all did!"
The lawyer put her head in her hands and sighed heavily.
"Just like you will," Gibbs said.
And Johnny pounced. It was a bit of a fight, but between Johnny, Langston, and Bishop, Bridget was cuffed. As she was led away, Gibbs looked at the lawyer with a raised eyebrow.
"She was warned," the lawyer admitted, "but I don't know if what she said can be counted as a confession. I'll figure it out in court, later."
Gibbs smirked. Then there was a pained strangled male yell from down the hall.
In the next interrogation room over, Robbie had been informed of his rights, and his lawyer, Kevin was also there. He had also been warned about what would happen if he chose to repeat yesterday's incident.
"They're not here for us; they're here for you, and there's two more outside this room, with a fifth one within yelling distance," Torres said. "These guys aren't just Marines; they're military police, and they would make yesterday's incident seem like child's play. It's what they're trained to do."
Robbie gulped nervously.
"Okay, Robbie, this is the way it is; we have you for tampering with evidence, accessory to murder, and assaulting a federal agent," McGee said. "Right now, your mother is under arrest for the murder of Petty Officer Scotto. We know you were just doing what your mother told you to, like a good son."
"I won't snitch on her," Robbie snapped.
"I understand that, and we're not asking you to. We just want to know what happened," McGee said. "I don't think you had a hand in Petty Officer Scotto's death, but the evidence says you helped move his body, dump it, and dump his car."
"Wouldn't that count as illegal possession of a vehicle? Or is it possession of stolen property?" Torres wondered.
"That would depend on what the prosecutor decides," McGee said.
"I was just doing what she told me to do," Robbie said sullenly. "Didn't even know who the dude was."
"What did your mom tell you?" Torres asked.
"She just told me to help her get his body into his car, to not ask questions, and that he deserved it for sticking his nose where it didn't belong," Robbie said. "What's going to happen to me?"
"Juvie, likely, since you don't have any parents to remand you to custody to, or possibly a halfway house," Kevin said. "If you choose to go to trial, you will likely stay at juvie until your trial. After that, it's up to the judge and the prosecuting attorney, and right now, because what happened earlier, it won't look very good for you, on top of the fact that the only other adult in your life has a serious deteriorating mental condition."
"So I'm gonna wind up in foster care, just like those other kids," Robbie guessed.
"That's one possibility, yes," McGee said. "Right now, your options depend on your choices."
"Your mom is going away. For how long, we don't know, but at the very least, by the time she gets out, you'll be aged out," Torres said.
Robbie looked down at the table, his shoulders slumping. "She called me, told me to meet her at that house on Cedar Street. I had to convince Grandma to come with me because I didn't dare leave her alone. Grandma fell asleep in the car, which made things easier. Didn't take much to get the dude in his car."
"Whose idea was it to dump Petty Officer Scotto in the hospital garbage bin?" McGee asked.
"Mom's. She used to work there as a housekeeper, before Grandma needed more care," Robbie said. "I got rid of the body, drove the car to some bar, and Mom picked me up and went back to Cedar Street to get her car. She said he deserved it, that he stuck his nose where it didn't belong and was going to destroy our family, not that there is much of one, especially with Grandma yelling all the time these days."
"What about Twinky the dog?" Torres asked.
"Mom only got her to keep Grandma happy, but Twinky doesn't shut up," Robbie said bitterly. "And Grandma just yells more."
"How did your mom's blood get in the car?" McGee asked.
"Her hand was cut, and she and I moved the body. She didn't have anything to wrap her hand with, and I tried to wipe the blood off the back of the car," Robbie admitted. "She's my mom. Don't even know who my dad is."
"We do," Torres said.
"Who?" Robbie asked, suspiciously.
"The guy you probably called Grandpa," Torres said bluntly. "Word is, your mom was bouncing him when she was sixteen and in foster care with them. Bet she forgot to mention that part, huh?" Robbie's face began to turn an interesting shade of green. Behind him, both Hans and Richmond cringed.
McGee slid a pen and pad towards him. "Write everything down, please. We'll be back in a few minutes."
They left the room, and both sighed heavily.
"That went easier than I expected," Torres admitted. "Wonder how it's going with the boss?"
"Not good," Shane said, who was, oddly enough, by himself. "Mommy dearest resisted arrest, and when they brought her out, she managed to catch Lopez with a field goal." Both Torres and McGee cringed. "Last I saw, Agent Gibbs was helping him to the bathroom to puke his guts up." Then he grinned. "By the way, how do I get Agent Langston's number? I saw the way she was handling that crazy woman, and she can play with me any time she wants."
Both Torres and McGee grinned. "Give her a week to see her brother, because she hasn't seen him since they were kids, and leave your number with me. I'll pass it on to her," Torres said. "Word of advice, though; just because she's rough and tumble on the job, doesn't mean she's rough and tumble off the job."
"Fair enough," Shane said.
Gibbs came out of the bathroom. "How'd it go with Robbie?"
"Full confession. His mom called him, and he just did as he was told," McGee said. "He's writing everything down now, and his lawyer is still with him."
Bishop, Langston, and Johnny joined them.
"Bridget's on her way back to jail," Bishop said. "Cops love us right now."
"How bad?" Torres asked.
"Woman's got a mouth that would make a seasoned sailor blush," Johnny said. "They were threatening to hog-tie her just to get her to stop fighting."
"Ooh," McGee said, cringing. He glanced at his watch. "We should check on Robbie. Hopefully he's finished writing that confession of his."
"Bishop, and you two," Gibbs said, indicating the Langston siblings, "go talk to Tommy. Find out what he knows. If he fights…" Johnny grinned and cracked his knuckles. "Yeah."
But, at the hospital, Tommy was in no mood to fight. Instead, he looked defeated, both physically and spiritually.
"I'm Special Agent Bishop, NCIS, this is Special Agent Langston, and that's Gunnery Sergeant Langston," Bishop said.
"What's the Marines want with me?" Tommy asked.
"Considering the damage you did the last time we met, he's our backup," Bishop said.
Tommy nodded, looking away. "Why does NCIS want to talk to me?"
"Julia Wentworth, Amanda Melanson, Petty Officer Adam Scotto," Langston said.
As they watched, Tommy closed his eyes and a tear slid down his face. He took a shuddering breath.
"We found Amanda, Tommy," Bishop said gently. "We know what happened to Julia, and we found her too. We also found little Paulie Jackson, and your son."
Tommy snapped his head towards them, his eyes wide. "You found my son? You found mine and Julia's son? Where? Please, please tell me those bastards didn't hurt him too!" he pleaded desperately.
"No, they never got the chance. He was adopted by a loving family, and he just graduated from Marine boot camp," Bishop said. "He's a healthy, happy young man."
Tommy nodded, relieved. "Good. Good. And Julia?"
"She's in our morgue; local kids were calling her the Lady in Green, because a lady in a green dress was said to be haunting the house," Bishop said. "So are Amanda and Paulie."
"What happened t' Amanda, Tommy? What did y' see?" Langston asked gently.
"I was just a kid," Tommy whimpered.
"Been there, done that," Langston said. "We've all done things, said things, as kids, that we regret, an' we can only hope tha' time, and the person we hurt, will forgive us."
"I should have protected her, them," Tommy said. "I was the oldest. I loved Julia. We were just kids, but I loved her. She was nothing like her parents; practically a freakin' angel compared to them. They sent me to this stupid job training thing, and when I got back, Julia was gone, and they, those bastards, they claimed she had run away, and when I tried to object, Robert, he showed me a bloody shirt, said that if I didn't shut up and do as I was told, he and May would very, very easily make it look like I killed Julia, and I would never, ever get out of jail. And I was just a scared kid. And when May killed Amanda, they made me help them bury her, and told me that if I ever told anyone, I would join her, and Julia, and that other little boy, even though I didn't know his name, I swear," he said. It was like a dam had burst inside him, and the words came tumbling out, along with the tears. "I love Julia, I loved our baby, and I couldn't protect either one of them, any of them, and I was the oldest!"
"What about Bridget?" Langston asked.
"Whore! She was screwing around with Robert and everyone knew it! She kept that miserable old bastard happy, and helped keep the younger kids under their miserable control!" Tommy yelled.
"Would she have killed to keep a secret?" Bishop asked.
"That slut damn near killed me!" Tommy yelled. He yanked down his gown and showed them a scar on his chest, near his shoulder. "She tried to shoot me when I turned eighteen, because I threatened to tell everyone and anyone who would listen that I knew she was fucking Robert and I knew who the father of her kid was! I could easily, easily get him for statutory rape and she knew it! And she was so willing, so desperate, to protect those evil people that she was willing to kill me to do it!"
Curious, Johnny took a closer look at the scar. "That's a bullet scar, man. Couple of more centimeters thataway, an' you would've been Dead Man Walking," he said. He accepted Bishop's phone and took a couple of pictures of the scar.
"And you were eighteen when that happened?" Bishop asked. Tommy nodded. "And you never told anyone?"
"I was too scared to. As soon as I could, I just ran, and I've been running ever since," Tommy admitted. "I see them, you know? Julia, Amanda, I hear some baby crying, and my mind…"
"They named 'iim George," Langston said.
"George? That's a nice name," Tommy said. "Who does he look like?"
Bishop smiled. "He looks like Julia; he has her smile."
Tommy nodded. "That was the most beautiful part of her, that smile of hers. No matter how bad it got, her smile could light up the whole room."
"What do you want to do?" Bishop asked.
Tommy sighed. "I don't know. I don't know what to do, man. Everything's been fucked up for years and I don't know how to make things right." He rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"We have Bridget Everest for the murder of Petty Officer Scotto, and accessory to murder for the murder of Amanda," Bishop said.
"You do?" Tommy asked, looking at them. "You ain't bullshittin' me?"
"She's just as vicious a bitch now as she was then, and May Wentworth hasn't gotten any better, except her mind's going; she's got Alzheimer's," Bishop said.
"And Robert?" Tommy asked.
"Died a few years back from a heart attack," Langston said.
Tommy barked with laughter at that.
Langston left the room for a moment, and then came back, lined sheet paper and a pen in hand, having paid a visit to the nursing station. She put it on the bedside table and moved it over Tommy's bed. "Confession is good for th' soul; y' couldn't do anything then, but y' can do something now. I don't know what th' law says 'bout th' statute of limitations on attempted murder, but it would certaintly speak t' Bridget's character."
"And then?" Tommy asked, pulling the papers towards him.
"Forgive yourself for what happened," Johnny said. "Get clean, an' be the kind of guy Julia knew you were capable of being. Isn't it time you stopped letting th' Wentworths an' Bridget control you? Because that's what's happening, man. You're better than that, and that was what Julia believed. She must've, because she loved you."
Tommy nodded. "I got a lot of writing to do," he said.
Bishop took out her card and gave it to him. "When you're done, call me, and I'll come and pick it up."
Tommy nodded, and picked up the pen, a determined look on his face.
Outside the hospital, Bishop grinned at the two Langston siblings. "Tell you what; I'll drop you two off at the Yard, and you guys scram. Go catch up. We can wrap this case up from here. It's not every day that family comes home, and I don't know how long you have, before you have to go back to Afghanistan," she said to Johnny.
"I was given at least four days, mostly 'cause my CO knows what happened," Johnny admitted. "I head back on the fifth day."
"In that case, I would suggest you make the best of it," Bishop said. "Offer's going once…"
"Then let's git goin'!" Langston yelled, heading for the car at a fast run, causing Johnny and Bishop to laugh.